Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French says the veteran rock group had “no other choice but to cancel” its planned 50th-anniversary shows.
On February 5, Twisted Sister revealed that its 2026 reunion concerts were officially called off following Dee Snider’s resignation, which he attributed to health concerns.
In a statement shared on social media, the band explained that Dee’s “sudden and unexpected resignation” left them with no option but to cancel all scheduled dates, which were set to begin in April.
Two days later, on February 7, Jay Jay posted a video message online marking the 50th anniversary of Dee joining Twisted Sister.
He said: ”Today is the actual 50th anniversary of the day that Dee auditioned in the band. 1976. Here’s the diary entry. ‘Danny Snider‘ — he wasn’t Dee yet — ‘auditions for Twisted Sister‘, February 7th, 1976.”
“For the last 50 years, me and Eddie have stood side by side with Dee, not with hundreds of shows, but with thousands of shows.”
“You know the cliché in sports, when a great sportsman retires, they say he left it on the field,” Jay Jay continued. “Well, I can tell you when it comes to Dee, he left it on the stage. He gave everything his all, and his body is now telling him, ‘I can’t give you anymore.’ And when someone tells you that, you have to accept it and you have to move on. So please understand this was a tough decision, but we had no other choice but to cancel these dates.”
“As far as the future of Twisted Sister is concerned, Eddie Ojeda and I will have conversations in the next couple of weeks to discuss what, if any, options exist for us to continue.”
“Until then, just know that the SMFs around the world are the thing that kept us alive and kept us going, and we love you guys and we will do everything we can to always live up to your expectations as fans, ’cause nobody understands fandom more than us. We appreciate everything that you’ve ever done for us and hopefully we’ll see you again in the future. Thank you.”
In a separate statement issued on February 5, the 70-year-old Dee Snider disclosed that he had been diagnosed with degenerative arthritis and had already undergone multiple surgeries related to the condition “just to keep going, able to only perform a few songs at a time in pain.”
“A lifetime of legendarily aggressive performing has taken its toll on Dee Snider‘s body and soul,” the statement said. “Adding insult to injury, Dee has recently found out the level of intensity he has dedicated to his life’s work has taken its toll on his heart as well. He can no longer push the boundaries of rock ‘n’ roll fury like he has done for decades.”
Snider added that he doesn’t “know of any other way to rock”.
“The idea of slowing down is unacceptable to me. I’d rather walk away than be a shadow of my former self,” Dee said.
“In the immortal words of Dirty Harry, ‘A man’s got to know his limitations.’ Sadly, Dee Snider now knows his,” the statement concluded.
The 50th-anniversary shows were set to kick off on April 25 in São Paulo, Brazil, before continuing through the summer.
